NASCAR president comments on potential playoff changes for 2026

Steve O'Donnell offers his thoughts on playoff format

"What I don't want to do is take away from whoever wins the championship this year," O'Donnell said. "Whoever wins that championship, I'm going to stand behind them and say that's our champion." 

Fans will have to wait at least four more weeks to hear about any changes to the playoff format, as O'Donnell made it clear that an announcement won't come before the end of the 2025 campaign. 

In regard to a new format, O'Donnell stressed the importance of superstardom, and how NASCAR's best drivers need to be rewarded for their success. 

"Here's what gets me to think about it: Christopher Bell," O'Donnell said, referencing the Joe Gibbs Racing star. "He comes in, gives me an honest opinion, which I agree with — if I roll off 10 wins in a year, and I go to (a) one-race (championship), and a couple other guys get into me, I'm not the champion. 

"Four years in a row that happens, I don't want the next Christopher Bell who's 10 years old right now thinking about NASCAR, wanting to go to NASCAR, wanting to be a champion (saying), 'Huh, this is a little bit more of a chance on one race.'" 

Revising the format could help create superstars

In previous points formats, including the "Chase" format where wins did not equal automatic berths to the postseason and there were no playoff rounds, dominant drivers and teams were able to fully showcase their abilities without the hindrance of points resets or a one-race championship stripping away their work. The dominance of drivers like Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson turned those drivers not just into stars in the NASCAR world, but household names in sports. 

"Christopher Bell, to me, is a superstar in our sport," O'Donnell said. "You roll off four championships in a row with eight wins and a body of work, that's good for our sport. People are talking about him." 

The nature of how drivers qualify for the playoffs is also a major talking point. With a win in any regular-season race, drivers automatically qualify for the playoffs regardless of where they are in the points standings. The playoffs also dominate headlines from the time the green flag waves for the season-opening Daytona 500 — NASCAR's most prestigious race — taking away some of the luster that comes with winning NASCAR's biggest prize."

"I think about the Daytona 500, I think about how big that race is," O'Donnell said. "One of the narratives is (the winner is) in the playoffs. Well, it's the Daytona 500." 

Any changes to the format won't be known for at least a month, but it's safe to say that the debate regarding the NASCAR playoff format won't be cooling down anytime soon.